Bonner Springs looks at annexing across county lines

If the city of Bonner Springs is going to grow, it has got to have somewhere to go and somewhere is looking more and more like Leavenworth County.

Bonner Springs City Council members discussed the idea of annexing their way into Leavenworth County at their council retreat Monday afternoon, Oct. 22.

Mayor Steve Breneman said some residents of Leavenworth County have expressed interest in becoming part of Bonner Springs, which could provide them with better emergency response times, cheaper water and a variety of other benefits, he said.

"The real reason to be in a city is the services a city offers," Breneman said. "And we have good city services."

With other cities like Edwardsville, Shawnee and Kansas City, Kan., cutting off other possible routes of expansion, Leavenworth County, toward Basehor, seems like the logical place to go, city officials said.

"If Bonner Springs is gonna grow, that's the only way we can go," Breneman said.

Breneman said he wants the City Council to take a proactive approach toward achieving growth, and annexation is one way to do that.

"You can let it happen to you or you can make it happen, those are the two choices," Breneman said. "I'm going to make it happen."

Breneman said he is working with others to schedule a meeting with Leavenworth County residents that could be interested in annexation. Breneman said it is possible the city could take action late this year or early next year if property owners petition to be annexed into Bonner Springs, which would be the easiest way for the city to complete the process.

If annexation into Leavenworth County becomes a reality, those residents living in the Bonner Springs portion of the county would still pay Leavenworth County and Basehor-Linwood School District taxes, but would pay city taxes to Bonner Springs.

No officials dates have been set for when any meetings or official city action would take place on the annexation.

In some portions of the city, residents on one side of a road live in Bonner Springs, while residents on the other side of the road live in Leavenworth County. The annexation would put some neighborhoods on the same emergency and utility services.

So far, the city has not considering annexing land up to the Basehor city limit line.